Real Tree Care

A few helpful tree care tips will enhance the enjoyment of your Christmas tree and keep it fresh and fragrant throughout the holiday season.

After you bring the tree home and you are not setting it up immediately, cut one-quarter inch off the base of the trunk. Keep the tree outdoors in a container of water. Protect it from wind and sun until you’re ready to decorate. This helps the tree retain moisture for 10-14 days prior to bringing into your home.

Before you bring the tree into your home and place it in a stand, make another fresh cut a minimum of one-quarter inch off the base of the trunk. This re-opens the tree stem so it can take water. Immediately place it in the stand with fresh water. Don’t allow the water to drop below the fresh cut or the stem will reseal. Additives, chemicals and homemade recipes add nothing to the water uptake or the in-home display length of your tree.

Remember, trees are very thirsty. They may drink from 1 quart to 1 gallon of waterperday. Use a stand with a 1 gallon capacity or more. Check it daily and supply fresh water as needed. Happy Holidays!

Tree Species (use our availability button below)

A close relative to Fraser Fir, it has a soft green needles, excellent fragrance and excellent needle retention.

DOUGLAS FIR $8/foot :
This tree species has a medium green color, sharper needles, good fragrance and has very good needle retention.

NORWAY SPRUCE $6/foot :
Grown primarily for landscape and windbreak use this tree species can also be a short display (2-3 weeks) Christmas tree. It has very stout branches for heavy ornaments and slightly sharp needles.

5 Biggest Myths About Christmas Trees

MYTH #1: Real Christmas trees are cut down from forests.
Busted: Seriously, do people still believe this? To be completely accurate, in a few locations around North America, the U.S. Forest Service sells permits for people to harvest wild trees. They do this in places to create fire breaks. But it’s a very tiny percentage of all trees used. Most trees come from a farm where someone plants them. And each year, tree farmers plant one to three seedlings for each tree harvested.

MYTH #2: You save a tree by using a fake tree.
Busted: This is obviously tied to Myth #1, and also directly attributable to the fake tree industry. We’ve got ads for fake trees that say exactly that: “Save a tree.” Of course, this is false, because trees are a crop like corn, soybeans, pumpkins and apples. they are planted specifically as Christmas trees. Close to half a billion trees are currently growing on tree farms in the U.S. alone. The really ironic part of the ad for the fake tree is one of the selling points is that it comes in a sturdy cardboard box. Ummmm, how exactly is that saving a tree?

MYTH #3: It’s better to use a fake tree because you can re-use it each year.
Busted: That’s a very short-sighted perspective. According to research, most fake trees are only used 6 to 9 years before they’re disposed. Even if you would use one for 20 years or more, it will eventually be thrown away and end up in a landfill. And unlike real trees, which are biodegradable and recyclable, fake trees are always a burden on the environment.

MYTH #4: Christmas trees are a fire safety hazard and frequently catch on fire.
Busted: You’d certainly think so by watching the local “Action News” team on TV. Each year, many of them show a dramatic image of a tree bursting into flames, intending to scare people into watching the news. And the anchor/reporter will say. “If you get a Christmas tree, this could happen to you…” the reality is, a tree being accidentally ignited is extremely rare. As in 0.0004%. And those images of burning trees? They are often aided by gasoline or lighter fluid.

MYTH #5: Real Christmas trees end up in landfills.
Busted: Christmas tree recycling programs are available nationwide, and many are quite creative. A farm-grown Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable, so it can be used for all kinds of things in nature, from mulch to erosion control.